Tavris, Carol, and Elliot Aronson. _Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me) Third Edition: Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts_. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. # Progressive Summary The need for self-justification is strong, and most of us are incapable of admitting mistakes. We have core ideas about ourselves (we are good, we are smart) and anything that challenges these ideas creates dissonance and ambiguity. The need to resolve the ambiguity leads us to revise our picture of reality to adapt to our core ideas. # Key Points Cognitive dissonance is the engine that drives self-justification. It leads to confirmation bias, where we seek only information that supports our belief. Being confronted by contradicting evidence can sometimes backfire, causing us to hold even more securely to our belief. # Resonances # Quotes